The Fly

The Fly (1986)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Reporter Veronica Quaife (Genna Davis) goes back to the lab of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who claims to be working on something that will change human kind. Back at his lab she discovers that he's working on a transportation device so she begins to record his progress but when he tries it on himself the results are disastrous.

It's funny how movies can strike you differently at different times of your life. I was only six when this came out and I first viewed it at some point on VHS when I was around ten or so and I really didn't care for it. Yes, I loved the gore but overall I just thought the film was boring. I tried it again as a teenager and felt the same. However, viewing it as an adult for the first time in well over a decade, I couldn't help but really see deep into its tragic story and come away with a completely different opinion.

David Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 classic takes its simple idea and turns it into a true tragedy mixed with romance, outlandish special effects and some graphic content that will certainly shake weaker viewers. Through in a pretty intelligent script and three great performances and you're left with a science-fiction film that manages to work on all levels. The most surprising thing is how smart the picture actually is when you look at what other types of films were out at this time.

The screenplay manages to treat the science material with respect and it never dumbs down the material. The romance between the two lead characters work extremely well and especially when the scientist begins to go through his transformation. You really do care for both characters so you want to see him save while at the same time you can connect with the reporter's heartache of seeing him turn into the title character. Vincent Price, an actor in the 1958 film, said he enjoyed this version of the movie but felt Goldblum turned into a mutant more than a fly. That's perhaps true to a point but there's no question that these are some of the best special effects of the decade. The make- up work on Goldblum's body at the start is simply stunning and very much believable. Once his body starts to fall apart the effects just keep getting better and better. They're certainly stomach-turning at times but the work is exceptional.

Finally, there are the performances by Goldblum and Davis. Both are extremely good but there's no question that Goldblum deserves so much credit for being able to pull off the various temper moods of the character. He certainly makes you believe that he's this genius scientist and once he begins to fall apart, well, you can believe that as well.

THE FLY is certainly one of the better horror films of the decade. It's smart, scary, sad and best of all is that it's made for adults.

Director David Cronenberg takes a different approach with THE FLY than in his other horror films. On its surface, it's a story about an experiment gone horribly awry, resulting in a hideous hybrid / mutation. In reality, it's a tragic love story about a woman named Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) and her quirky, scientist boyfriend, Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum).

Indeed, the experiment does go wrong, and notoriously sickening horror ensues. Through the course of the movie, Brundle undergoes an astonishingly repulsive transformation. The special effects and makeup in this movie are phenomenal! However, this is not just about a man in a frightening rubber costume.

This is a movie with surprising emotional depth. Veronica's love for Brundle is tested beyond all measure, right up to the frenzied finale. Ms. Davis is absolutely believable in her devastated role, as is Mr. Goldblum in his series of deteriorating states. These are star-crossed lovers, caught up in something that could very well destroy them both. It's about what happens when someone we adore is stricken with something debilitating / disfiguring and dangerous. Veronica stays with Brundle far beyond the point of sanity. Only her deep feelings for him could allow such devotion.

One of Cronenberg's most intriguing and insightful efforts...

Why is it this film that will always be his REAL 'breakout', and not any of the others before or since? The truth is, beneath all the biological yucks and makeup (there is plenty of both) lies a strong emotional core. Goldblum is enthusiastically likable as scientist Seth Brundle, and Geena Davis is just how Geena Davis seems to be in real life... sweet. It is how the events change both characters EMOTIONALLY, not physically, that inspires the true horror.

The blending of both the above elements makes this remake appeal simultaneously to the 'gross out' crowd, and those in the mood for a more cerebral horror experience. A concept of B-movie stature, electrified by the skills of A-list talent.

Truly great – but very nasty – update of the classic 1958 sci-fi film with both Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis in the roles of their lives. Technically, this is a remake, but with a genius like David Cronenberg in the director's chair, it's obvious that this isn't anything like the uninspired and irritating remakes that are being released nowadays ("The Amityville Horror", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"…). Cronenberg's interpretation of this ultimate terror-tale differs greatly from the original. In fact, the only resemblance is the basic premise of a fusion between an obsessive scientist and an ordinary housefly. Goldblum is terrifically cast as the brilliant, but slightly confused mastermind Seth Brudle, whose lifework are "telepods"; funny looking machines capable of transmitting matter through space. Journalist Davis, with whom he has a romantic adventure, closely observes the progress of his work but when he teapot's himself through space, the catastrophe happens. Mentally as well as physically, Brudle undergoes a horrible transformation into a fly and it cannot be stopped. "The Fly" is a very devastating film. Powerful enough, but not exactly pleasant to look at. Like only the greatest directors can pull this off, Cronenberg overwhelms the audience with a sublime mixture drama, misery and repulsiveness. You feel as helpless as the characters themselves and you painfully wait for the unhappy ending to come! The screenplay is filled with genuine metaphors and the romance between Goldblum and Davis is beautifully illustrated. The special effects, mainly created by Chris Walas (who went on directing the 1989-sequel) are definitely still staggering and they don't look the least bit dated by today's standards.

Scientist Seth Brundle has created a matter transporter to create a sort of teleporting system. During tests he finds it turns his monkeys inside out and kills them, until he gets it to work. He immediately tests it on himself and everything appears to work well. However he soon finds himself going through a series of changes, much to the concern of his girlfriend Ronnie, that see him becoming fitter and stronger. However it isn't long the changes become more concerning and it is clear that he is changing beyond his control and beyond recognition.

Cronenberg is famous for his body horror and here is no exception. The remake of The Fly loses a lot of his usual social comment etc but still leaves him open to do a great horror that has some intelligent touches. The story is very much a horror – but Cronenberg has got rid of the concept of swapping a fly head for a human head and replaced it with the horror coming from within. This allows him to feel more comfortable with his subject matter rather than it being silly. The transformation gets more intense towards the end as his whole body begins to become a fly but the early parts allow tension to be built up.

When the gore comes it is typical Cronenberg. It isn't gore for comedy's sake it is quite shocking and very gory. The real gore is kept for 2 or 3 key moments and is all the more shocking for the restrained nature of it's use up till then. The end itself shows that it isn't just an out and out horror and that it does have a heart and a head to match it's strong stomach.

Goldblum is good. Unfortunately he has come to be type cast as the excitable, Jewish scientist with a distinct speaking manner (try Jurassic Park 1 & 2, Cats and Dogs etc). However here it doesn't annoy too much. Davis is also very good and was going into a good run of hits (unlike now!) at the time. She plays the horror of her situation very well.

Overall The Fly is a very good remake. It is a horror film that is actually chilling as well as gory – Cronenberg's fascination with body horror and the nature of ourselves is toned down but is still enough in evidence to add something.